Has anyone ever died from studying to much?

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In summary, there have been cases where individuals have died from studying too much, such as Marie Curie and a 28-year-old Thai student who was studying for 16 hours a day. Mental and physical exhaustion can lead to serious health complications, even if the person is able to get enough sleep. However, some individuals may be supported by other sources and thus able to focus solely on studying without the need for making money.
  • #1
GreenPrint
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Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has ever died from studying to much. Like if some people become really obsessed with studying that they study for like 50 hours straight and forget to eat, drink, and sleep. I heard of people like playing video games for 50 hours nonstop were they get so concentrated to playing their video game that they forgot to sleep and eat food and just collapsed off their chairs while playing a video game. I'm wondering if there has been any people in history who were like obsessed with studying and just like collapsed and were found on their floors with like a book on their table open because they studied to long.
 
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  • #2
I know that Marie curie fainted because she studied too much and didn't eat. I got the info from her biography by Eve Curie (her daughter)
 
  • #3
i think one or two of the Curies died from studying radium.
 
  • #4
Since one was run over by a stagecoach, that sets an upper bound on how many could have died from studying radiation.
 
  • #5
Wikipedia:
[Marie] Curie died in 1934 of aplastic anemia brought on by her years of exposure to radiation.[6]

"Pierre Curie died in a street accident in Paris on 19 April 1906. Crossing the busy Rue Dauphine in the rain at the Quai de Conti, he slipped and fell under a heavy horse drawn cart. He died instantly when one of the wheels ran over his head, fracturing his skull.[4]"But it all depends on your definition of "from". A person thinking about radium can be carelessly run down by a stagecoach.
 
  • #6
I was just wondering if someone like died from studying to much nonstop at one time were they get to the point were they forget to eat and drink and just like collapse and fall out of their chairs from dehydration because they became obsessed and forgot to do these things. People have seriously played video games for like 50 hours straight because they were obsessed and forgot to eat, drink, and sleep and just like fell out of their chairs and die from dehydration. I was wondering if like some professor just studied for like 50 hours nonstop because they were obsessed and died because they were so concentrated in their work that they forgot to eat, drink and sleep and hence died because they studied to much at one time
 
  • #7
from as in like just sitting in their rooms and studying nonstop for long periods of time so they become obsessed and forget to do things to keep them alive
 
  • #8
I searched 'professor dead from too much studying' and got this:
English translation:
A 28-year-old Thai student died of cerebral hemorrhage after presenting himself by exam to enter his judgeship. Doctors attributed his death to physical and mental exhaustion, caused by the extended time that he spent studying more than 16 hours daily.

The paragraph is from a newspaper in Spanish.
 
  • #9
Herricane said:
I searched 'professor dead from too much studying' and got this:
English translation:
A 28-year-old Thai student died of cerebral hemorrhage after presenting himself by exam to enter his judgeship. Doctors attributed his death to physical and mental exhaustion, caused by the extended time that he spent studying more than 16 hours daily.

The paragraph is from a newspaper in Spanish.

hm interesting, studying for 16 hours a day every single day can exhaust the body to the point were it dies... interesting...
 
  • #10
I know right! I would have never guessed.
 
  • #11
well how does mental exhaustion kill you? If you think about it studying appears to be a very safe activity to take part in and is normally not something that I would consider bad for my health. Studying for 16 hours a day every day would probably make you tired and exhausted but I wouldn't think that it would kill you. I find it odd. If you remember to eat food and stuff I don't see why it would hurt you.
 
  • #12
Well that does leave him 8 hours of sleep (without taking classes into account). I really don't know. You bring up a good point.
 
  • #13
I assume it was because he wasn't sleeping much, which eventually compromises your immune system.
 
  • #14
Even if he (somehow) slept enough, mental stress can fatigue ones body as effectively as lack of sleep.
 
  • #15
For the noobs, we had some poster, I think he called himself "mathboy" and he told us that he learned for 12 hours per day, never heard from him again, makes you wonder doesn't it...
 
  • #16
MathematicalPhysicist said:
For the noobs, we had some poster, I think he called himself "mathboy" and he told us that he learned for 12 hours per day, never heard from him again, makes you wonder doesn't it...

ROFL... but seriously, you would go insane before downright dying.
 
  • #17
@curl, we all know what are the consequences from working too much, studying is the same.

It's a pitty you can't make money from just learning higher and higher maths. (I mean to get money you need to provide some service, learning math for its own sake doesn't bring money, so I wonder how can someone be only focused on learning).
 
  • #18
^
If figuring out how to get money is not currently a concern of their's, then it could be done. The person in question could've been one who is supported by another source, say, their parents. :-)
 
  • #19
are you talking about the guy who said that his butt hurt from studying 12 hours a day every single and was wondering what he should do about it or was it someone else? I remember that lol.
 
  • #20
GreenPrint said:
are you talking about the guy who said that his butt hurt from studying 12 hours a day every single and was wondering what he should do about it or was it someone else? I remember that lol.

Gee thanks, now I won't be able to sleep until I finally find that thread :P
 
  • #22
Mépris said:
^
If figuring out how to get money is not currently a concern of their's, then it could be done. The person in question could've been one who is supported by another source, say, their parents. :-)

I know. that's what I did in my UG, but now I see that I cannot keep being dependent on my parents, so the learning is the one that gets sacrificed.
 
  • #23
lol i had to work 37 hours a week for the whole semester to make the amount needed so that way i wouldn't have any debt and pay for all next semester without taking out loans on top of what i got from my parents and it was miserable working so much and doing 19 credits =/ but it kept me out of my room and studying to much lol.

also your a grad student now? should you just go to grad school right away or find work first and find a company that will pay for your masters?
 
  • #24
GreenPrint said:
lol i had to work 37 hours a week for the whole semester to make the amount needed so that way i wouldn't have any debt and pay for all next semester without taking out loans on top of what i got from my parents and it was miserable working so much and doing 19 credits =/ but it kept me out of my room and studying to much lol.

Based on this sentence, I would recommend one more English class, even if it meant a wee bit of debt. Honestly.
 
  • #26
GreenPrint said:
lol i had to work 37 hours a week for the whole semester to make the amount needed so that way i wouldn't have any debt and pay for all next semester without taking out loans on top of what i got from my parents and it was miserable working so much and doing 19 credits =/ but it kept me out of my room and studying to much lol.

also your a grad student now? should you just go to grad school right away or find work first and find a company that will pay for your masters?

I am not aware of any company that is willing to pay for masters in pure mathematics, I grade students' HW and get some money from it, and tuition fee waiver.

I still live with my parents though, ah what a life. (to tell you the truth, though they frequently make some noise, I think it's better to live with someone and not by myself, being alone can be depressing at times).
 
  • #27
Well, people get exhausted from studying continuously, which can eventually lead to death. It is indeed very rare for someone to reach this point of exhaustion, but it happens. Isaac Newton supposedly was able to study/work 16~18 hours per day and sleep for 3~4 hours. He didn't die due to all this time studying/working, but he has suffered from some mental breakdowns, so it does have consequences.
 
  • #28
i think one would have to resort to caffeine pills to do that. I think CVS has them for like 8 bucks for a thing of 80. You can take them every 5-6 hours and it'll keep you from sleeping
 
  • #29
AndersCarlos said:
Well, people get exhausted from studying continuously, which can eventually lead to death. It is indeed very rare for someone to reach this point of exhaustion, but it happens. Isaac Newton supposedly was able to study/work 16~18 hours per day and sleep for 3~4 hours. He didn't die due to all this time studying/working, but he has suffered from some mental breakdowns, so it does have consequences.

No surprise that he didn't get marry. :-)
 
  • #30
AndersCarlos said:
Well, people get exhausted from studying continuously, which can eventually lead to death. It is indeed very rare for someone to reach this point of exhaustion, but it happens. Isaac Newton supposedly was able to study/work 16~18 hours per day and sleep for 3~4 hours. He didn't die due to all this time studying/working, but he has suffered from some mental breakdowns, so it does have consequences.

I think many of his mental breakdowns also have to do with the fact that he had a big amount of mercury into his blood, thanks to his experiments in alchemy.
 
  • #31
Cuauhtemoc said:
I think many of his mental breakdowns also have to do with the fact that he had a big amount of mercury into his blood, thanks to his experiments in alchemy.

Yeah, but you don't think his profound discoveries had anything to do his obsession with studying, do you?

I mean, he was downright genius, so probably the extra hours he spent at his desk were spent in futile, becuase research has shown productivity decreases if you study more than five hours, so you don't accomplish much, right?
 
  • #32
failexam said:
Yeah, but you don't think his profound discoveries had anything to do his obsession with studying, do you?

I mean, he was downright genius, so probably the extra hours he spent at his desk were spent in futile, becuase research has shown productivity decreases if you study more than five hours, so you don't accomplish much, right?

Research on what sample of persons? Likely not a bunch of Newtons...

We also don't know whether Newton sat at his desk for 16-18 hours straight. Maybe he took tea breaks or the 16-18 hours included the time he spent thinking about this work. At any rate, maybe his productivity didn't decrease too much...
 
  • #33
I died from studying too much. OK, I'm not dead yet, but I will die soon.

"Bring out your dead!" Too much studying! I can't die yet, though. More studying to do... :tongue:
 

1. Can someone actually die from studying too much?

While it is possible for someone to experience negative health effects from studying excessively, it is extremely rare for someone to die solely from studying too much. Most cases of death related to studying involve underlying health conditions or other contributing factors.

2. What are the potential health risks of studying too much?

Studying excessively can lead to physical and mental health problems such as eye strain, headaches, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. It can also negatively impact relationships and social life due to lack of balance and time for self-care.

3. How much studying is considered too much?

The amount of studying that is considered "too much" varies for each individual and depends on factors such as their physical and mental health, study habits, and workload. It is important to listen to your body and take breaks when needed.

4. Are there any warning signs of studying too much?

Some warning signs of studying too much include physical symptoms such as headaches, eye strain, and fatigue, as well as mental symptoms like irritability, difficulty concentrating, and decreased motivation. It is important to pay attention to these signs and make adjustments to your study habits as needed.

5. How can I avoid studying too much?

To avoid studying too much, it is important to prioritize self-care and maintain a healthy balance between studying and other activities. This can include taking breaks, setting realistic goals and schedules, and seeking support from friends, family, or a therapist if needed.

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